


We're Alright

by hydrobromic



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: (there's a small amount of gore (just describing blood)), All death happens off screen, Bureau of Balance - Freeform, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode: e060-066 The Stolen Century Parts 1-7, Fluff, Found Family, Happy Ending, IPRE Crew | Starblaster Crew as Family, M/M, Memory Loss, Minor Julia Burnsides/Magnus Burnsides, Nothing described past kissing, SO MUCH FLUFF, Temporary Character Death, a teensy bit of blupjeans, also some angst?, basically my excuse to write a bunch of vignettes from other people's pov, no Kravitz even tho i love him, outside pov
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-18 16:08:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28869801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hydrobromic/pseuds/hydrobromic
Summary: Taako and Magnus's relationship told through the perspective of the people around them.
Relationships: Magnus Burnsides/Taako
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	1. Stolen Century Era

**Author's Note:**

> "Happiness,  
> when it's done right,  
> is a kind of holiness"  
> Poppies by Mary Oliver

+

Lucretia is the first of the crew to notice that something has changed between Magnus and Taako.

Lucretia is nothing if not quiet and discrete. She prides herself on practically floating through the halls of the Starblaster without disturbing anyone. On a warm evening in the fourteenth cycle, Lucretia makes her way down to the tiny kitchen in the Starblaster’s rear. Filtered light dances through the small window as she makes herself a cup of tea, wiping up after herself and heading toward the living room directly connected to the kitchen. Lucretia notes that it’s oddly quiet for the time of the day, usually someone will have set up a card game or have music playing in the lounge. It’s been a tough couple of weeks though, and she doesn’t mind the quiet herself.

When she steps into the doorway, she pauses. She is definitely not alone. Magnus is sprawled on the couch closest to her, lying on his back with one leg hanging off the side and his mouth slightly open, breathing gently. This is not a surprising sight at all. Magnus seems to be able to nap wherever and whenever, and he often does. What is a surprise is the man snuggled in beside him. Taako, aloof detached Taako, is spread out over top of Magnus, his head resting on Magnus’s chest, his arm around Magnus’s torso, their legs intertwined.

Lucretia itches to write it down, to catalogue the change in her crewmates’ connection. But she stops herself. Somehow the moment feels extremely personal even if they are taking up the most comfortable couch in the _public_ living room.

They had been friends right from the beginning, and Lucretia had noticed. Noticed the way Taako would lean in conspiratorially to say something to Magnus who would laugh jovially. The way Magnus was the person Taako would hang out with most besides Lup. And while Lucretia had noted these things, she had set them aside because Magnus was friends with literally everyone – person, animal, inanimate object – nothing could escape the astonishing persistence of Magnus’s friendliness: not even Taako.

She watches them now for a few moments, noticing the way their breathing has synchronized and the way Taako’s head is tucked under Magnus’s. Her heart aches in the best way, admiring their nearness to each other. She feels so happy for them, for all of them really. The way they’ve slotted into each other’s lives so perfectly, filling rolls none of them knew they needed filled. She blinks away a few tears, inwardly admonishing herself for her sentimentality.

She’s startled out of her reverie by Taako’s voice. It’s soft and lilting.

“Take a pic, Luce. It will last you longer.” Lucretia shakes her head slightly, smiling as she leaves the room.

+

Years later, when all the crew members relay their stories of walking in on Magnus and Taako, Lup puts on a big show of being pissed off that she wasn’t the first to know that Taako and Magnus had anything more than friendship going on. But, privately, she’s pleased with the way their relationship had been revealed to her.

Lup knows Taako better than anyone in the world, no scratch that, in the galaxy. He’s whip-smart even though he often pretends not to be, funny in the best way, and stubborn to a fault. He’s not much of a tactile person, except with her. He’s usually standoffish, not in an unpleasant way, but sometimes he overcompensates for it with exaggerated mocking or flirty touching which is always wrought with a sense of irony that undercuts any sincerity.

That’s why, as she makes her way up the steps to the roof of the Starblaster and takes in the view before her, she stops dead in her tracks. In the middle of the roof, Taako is swaying in Magnus’ arms. Her confusion dissipates into amusement as Magnus twirls Taako around and Taako’s pointy features scrunch up as he laughs. Then, Magnus pulls Taako back in, placing his hands gently on his waist, and they sway some more to an imaginary tune only the two of them can hear. Lup feels herself smile and her heart swells with so much love and happiness for her brother. Mostly, she cannot wait to be able to make fun of him for this. Taako, her self-proclaimed cold-hearted brother, with his arms wrapped tightly around teddy bear of a man Magnus Burnsides, she has to laugh. Who could have predicted such a thing?

Then, she sees Magnus’s foot falter and the two of them trip, ending up sprawling on the ground. She watches with joy as the two start to laugh. Magnus recovers by readjusting them so that he’s lying on his back with Taako tucked in by his side. Even in the dim light with only stars for illumination, she can see Taako smile as he drapes his arm over Magnus’s stomach.

Magnus, the loudmouth, is already talking, looking up at the sky, pointing the constellations out. Lup knows Taako knows more about space and stars than Magnus does. He was top of his class in astronomy at the IPRE academy. But, she watches Taako watch Magnus’s face with an enrapt expression. Magnus leans in and says something quietly to him and Taako’s face lights up and then settles into a lazy smile. At that point, Lup knows for certain Taako’s a goner.

Returning to her quarters, for the first time in her life, Lup wonders how she is going to broach this subject with her brother. In the end, she doesn’t have to worry about it because two hours later Taako enters her room without knocking and dramatically flings himself onto her bed with a sigh. She quirks her eyebrow at him, and he pauses for a second before saying,

“I think I have a crush on Magnus.” Lup is at once grateful she doesn’t have to bring the subject up and surprised by Taako’s frankness. He’s always truthful with her, she knows that, but he’s usually still somewhat evasive about his feelings, letting her needle him until he gives in and spills everything.

All she can do is say, “Yeah?”

“Yeah!” Now Taako’s talking at lightning-fast speed, detailing his night to her.

“… and then we were looking at the stars and Magnus was making up stupid stories about them and cuddling… cuddling! Lup, can you believe that?”

Lup just smiles waiting for him to continue. “And then Magnus says” - Taako deepens his voice - “‘You’re smarter than me about this stuff. Are you sure you want to listen to me ramble.’ And do you know what I replied Lup? I said, ‘I like hearing you talk.’” Taako pauses for dramatic effect, covering his face with his arm. “Like a fucking idiot.”

Lup can’t help but laugh at him. Taako makes a face at her, but she does try to console him.

“That’s sweet, Taako. He probably found it endearing.”

Taako rolls his eyes but scootches himself up the bed, tucking himself under the blankets, so they’re lying side by side. There is a long pause, and Lup thinks Taako might have fallen asleep.

But then he whispers very quietly, “Do you know what he said next?” The room is quiet and dark and Lup turns to look at her brother.

“That I was brighter than all the stars in the sky combined.”

+

Barry is the first to admit that he's not the best at reading social cues. Scientific data? Display charts? Mathematical equations? No problem. Body language? Not so much. But even he knows something has changed when he enters the kitchen to grab a snack, and Magnus and Taako are standing at the sink hip to hip washing and drying dishes.

There’s an electricity between them that Barry hadn’t noticed before. If he were the kind of person to wax lyrical, he would say it seemed to spread through the room, making the tension palpable. He watches with an almost scientific curiosity as every time their hands brush, they smile shyly at each other before whipping their faces back to their own tasks. Magnus says something and nudges Taako’s shoulder with his own and Taako smirks. They’re in sync, comfortable in the little world they’ve created. Barry is pretty sure it’s the most relaxed he’s seen Taako in a long time, probably since the beach cycle.

Then it hits him. He watches as Magnus puts away a dry plate and turns to watch Taako as he violently scrubs at a copper pot. The look on Magnus’s face is one of soft adoration and Barry recognizes it instantly: it is the same look he gets whenever he looks at Lup.

Barry smiles and silently backs through the door and down the hall.

+

Magnus collapses fighting the hunger at the end of a cycle, and his crew members pull him onto the deck of the ship as Davenport steers them away from the planet being consumed behind them. Merle is briefed on Magnus’s less than stellar state as soon as his body has spun back into living consciousness after a particularly early and bad parlay with John. 

In the first moment he had awoken, he had been happy to reunite with them, eager to hear their tales from the previous cycle. However, the look on Lucretia’s face sobers him quickly and she tells him the news. He walks briskly, an unusual speed for him, to the hospital station, passing Barry and Lup who are focused on patching up the damaged walls of the ship.

He passes the observation window to the hospital room and catches a glimpse of Magnus. He looks rough. There is no other word to describe it. There is blood everywhere, matted in his hair, dried to the side of his face, his knuckles, his arms. Merle can’t see his legs, but he predicts that it will be more of the same. Taako is there, gingerly tending to the worst of his wounds, placing a square bandage over a sizable hole in Magnus’ abdomen. Taako seems to have done an alright job of cleric-ing, probably raiding the cupboard for potions, because Magnus is at least conscious and sitting up although Merle notes Magnus’s exhausted lean.

‘This never would have happened if you had been here, if you had been better at parlay,’ a nasty part of his mind berates him. ‘He’s so young. How could you let this happen?’ But Merle shakes off the thoughts, moving towards the door to help his friends.

He makes it to the doorway when he hears Taako speak and he hesitates.

“Do not do that to me again. I was fucking terrified. ” Taako’s voice is sharp and his words come out in a staccato.

In contrast, Magnus’s voice is gruff and slightly gargled but soft and calm.

“It’s okay. I’m right here.” Merle can see Taako’s hands shake as he dabs at the blood smeared on Magnus’s stomach. Merle can see the frustration on Taako’s face as he absentmindedly starts to scrub more furiously at Magnus’s blood and recognizes it for what it is: fear. Magnus stops Taako by wrapping his hands around Taako’s trembling one’s and tapping on them lightly until Taako looks up at him.

“Hey, I’m not going anywhere.”

Merle watches Taako’s head lower, knowing he should enter and help heal Magnus but not wanting to interrupt whatever is going on here.

“You could have died.” Taako’s voice is soft but there is a shrill panicked tone to it that betrays any sort of calmness he might have been trying to cultivate. Taako starts to speak but Magnus interrupts him.

“I will never leave you alone if I can help it, you know that right? But I can’t stop trying to protect you guys. It’s my job and I don’t want any of you to suffer if I can help it, you know? But I don’t want to leave you either and I’ll be more careful in the future.” Merle has always found that what Magnus lacks in eloquence he makes up for in sincerity and today is no exception. 

He continues, “If I do end up dying, and that might sometimes happen, you need to know that I’m thinking about how much I’m going to miss you.” Taako is looking up at Magnus again, and there are tears in his eyes, a sight that Merle has never been privy to before. “And I’m thinking about how stupid I am for leaving you, and how much I’m looking forward to –“

“I love you.”

Merle watches as Magnus’s face lights up with delight and surprise. “I love you too.”

This declaration of love is a revelation for Merle. He's surprised about how little he saw it coming but how much sense their connection makes in retrospect. For once in his life, he doesn’t want to embarrass either of them. So, he steps back a few feet and gives them a few moments, and then loudly announces his entrance before stepping into the room.

+

Captain Davenport is dedicated to his work. Sure, he loves playing card games with Merle, his research sessions with Barry and Lucretia, the food Lup and Taako place in front of him, the way they call him Cap’nport and chide him for working too hard. He even comes to love Magnus’s pranks. But the Starblaster comes first and their mission comes first, and he prides himself on not getting distracted with the interpersonal drama that comes with being stuck on a ship with the same people for so long. He also prides himself on not digging into his crewmates’ personal lives, for bestowing them with the gift of a semblance of privacy in such tight knit quarters. It makes sense he is the last to realize anything relationship-wise has changed.

His illusion is shattered when he walks in on Magnus and Taako making out in the laundry room. Taako is perched on the dryer with Magnus’s hands gripping his waist and Magnus’s tongue down his throat. Davenport knows he is probably the most professional of the crew and he should chastise them for being unprofessional, but another part of Davenport wants to play with them just a little, so he moves toward the washing machine, letting out a nonchalant,

“Huh, didn’t see that coming.”

They’re startled out of their task and pause as if waiting for Davenport to look aghast or say something more. But he continues to load up the machine with his laundry as if nothing has happened, whistling as he does. Immediately, they both start to laugh, scampering off hand in hand.

Davenport smiles to himself once they are gone. He absently wonders when he became the dad of the group, purposely making jokes, trying to shirk expectations. Maybe, Lucretia was right when she had told him that they had become more like a family than a crew by this point. But he shrugs the thought away and wonders if he has to draw up some sort of paperwork for the two of them to sign.


	2. Bureau of Balance Era

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “We must be very strong  
> And love each other  
> In order to go on living.”  
> Undersong: Equinox by Audre Lorde

+

Once again, Lucretia is the first to see the signs that point to a change in the relationship between Magnus and Taako. She convinces herself it’s because she is observant but, in her heart, she knows it because she’s the only one who knows what to look for.

When those three had stepped into her life again, she had been delighted. They were so vibrant still, even after everything. Merle had cracked jokes, Taako was leaning on Magnus inserting his usual sarcastic interjections, and Magnus had sincerely asked if they had license to kill. And she, quite naively she thinks now, had been content that even if they didn’t remember her, they could return to being the family they once were. Then she noticed the ghosts.

In some cruel ironic twist of fate, she sees the ghosts of loss on them: the ones only she knows and the ones she helped create. She passes Merle in the hall and sees the fifty-seven deaths etched onto his skin, the weight of his broken marriage, the failure he feels about his children. Sometimes, Magnus leaves small carvings on her desk as a present, and she can’t help but see the ghost of a twenty-year-old carving wooden ducks to present to Fisher. She notices Magnus rub his ring finger when he's thinking particularly hard, and she sees the shadow of Julia, cut down too young.

The worst is when she encounters Taako alone. She always sees the forty deaths that follow him around like a noose, but when she sees Taako alone, it’s like she stops being able to breathe. The ghost of the absence of Lup, of someone so special lost, always manages to knock her resolve. The knowledge that Taako is missing someone so essential to him, that he is now missing the love and care they had for each other, that he feels alone, and that he doesn’t even know any better makes him hard to look at sometimes.

So, Lucretia savours every happy moment she can with them. When they return from missions unharmed, she celebrates. The little gifts they bring her, she cherishes. The pranks they play, she secretly delights in. The closeness she sees being cultivated over time between the three of them, she reveres. And when she walks into the common room on a cold evening and sees Taako and Magnus cuddled on the couch, her heart aches.

She had noticed the subtle eye contact they always made whenever Merle said something stupid. She had noticed they seemed to move closer together whenever they were in the same room. Now, Taako’s legs are draped over Magnus’s lap as he reads a book in the corner of the couch. Magnus is leaning into him snoring softly and Lucretia can see a spectre of them curled up on the Starblaster. It strikes a simultaneous warmth and fear into her heart.

Taako lazily looks up at her and smiles. Suddenly, she feels a million years old, worn and tired. But she manages to muster up a smile before collecting what she needed from the room and hurriedly exiting.

+

Carey knows she’s the sneakiest person on the moon base. Killian always tells her as much, and she's always inclined to believe Killian. Plus, the amount of people she’s been able to scare, prank, and generally spy on is pretty astounding considering she works with a group of people who train to find hidden relics and live on a secret moon base.

Today, she’s been tailing Magnus for a couple of hours. If he eventually notices, she’s going to tell him it's part of his rogue training but mostly she was bored and wanted to scare him good. She hides around a corner as Magnus walks Taako back to his room. They had been training on the quad and Carey watches them talk in front of Taako’s door while absently picking at her nails. She wonders if this afternoon project is going to be a bust. It’s been pretty boring so far.

Then Taako makes a surprised noise, and Carey snaps her head up in alarm to see Magnus quickly pulling himself away from Taako. He looks flustered, red blooming on his cheeks, and Carey watches him apologize while rubbing the nape of his neck. Carey feels for him. She, too, had been super embarrassed when she first told Killian about her crush. The feeling of awaiting a rejection that feels like it’s sure to come was unbearable. But, Carey has like an intuition about other people's relationships though, and she’s pretty certain that this is going to end well for both of them. She smiles with satisfaction as she watches Taako surge up and kiss Magnus back, placing his hands on both of Magnus’s cheeks, tugging at his sideburns just a little bit. While Carey’s happy for them, she feels weird spying on them now and immediately abandons her mission.

Carey also knows she’s not good at keeping secrets. She can feel the knowledge tugging at her, tip tapping at the back of her brain, convincing her to let it out. That same day, while she’s working out with Killian, she lets the whole thing spill. Killian, of course, is amused by her inability to keep things a secret and, despite playfully calling her a liar, wants to know all the details of what she’d seen. As they lounge on some crates, discussing how to let Magnus know that they know, Killian starts aggressively nudging her as Magnus enters the room and heads toward them.

Logically, she knows that Magnus doesn’t know that she knows what went down, but it doesn’t stop a little bit of anxiety from spilling into her chest anyways.

“I need some advice,” Magnus says. Magnus is always this blunt and, in this moment, Carey is grateful for it and the anxiety leaves her chest immediately. Of course Magnus was going to let them know. There was no need for her to worry about trying to bring the topic up organically. 

Magnus bites at his lower lip and his brow furrows.

“I think I’m in love with Taako.” Okay, not what she had been expecting at all. She had expected him to want advice about a sexuality crisis or about asking Taako out on a date. She had not expected him to reveal his feelings with this level of seriousness. Killian must also be lost for words because it’s silent for a long moment.

Eventually, Carey just says, “Yeah?”

Magnus sits down beside them, leaning back on one arm and looks out at the training room before he responds.

“Yeah. I kissed him.” Carey can feel Killian’s bemused gaze on her. “And he kissed me back.”

Killian cuts in. “That’s good, that means he likes you too.” Magnus looks down at his hands for a moment.

“I didn’t think I would love someone else after Julia.” It’s like the air has left the room, but Carey, against her better judgement, starts to talk.

“Listen, whoever said that we only love one person is our lifetime was wrong.” Killian cuts in with a joking ‘hey’, but Carey ignores her. “Your love for Julia is profound and important and will never go away but that doesn’t mean you can’t love someone else. This love you feel doesn’t diminish what you feel for her.” Magnus is looking at her now, a sweet smile on his face.

“If I’ve learned anything about humans from you, Magnus, it’s that humans have the capacity to love infinitely.”

She feels Magnus’s arms around her before she realizes what’s happening and Magnus pulls Killian in too and they stay like that for a long time.

+

Avi had liked the new reclaimers from the jump. They had livened up the previously stuffy moon base immediately: cracking jokes, tormenting poor Leon, and generally leaving a happy mess in their wake. The Bureau of Balance had been trying and failing to destroy grand relics for a long time, and it had looked futile until these chucklefucks had waltzed into the base, Phoenix Fire Gauntlet in hand. They provided hope, also they were the life at the party.

Somehow, the three of them had turned the Bureau’s usually professional office party into a rager. Merle’s 1,999 party points certainly had to help. He was currently spinning Davenport around on the makeshift dance floor and trying to get Lucretia to join in, to no avail. Magnus had somehow convinced Johann to change up the music and now a faster pop-ier song was playing. Avi suspected the new swirling lights above and the spiked punch bowl were Taako’s fault, but Avi can’t find him. He studies the partygoers trying to find Taako and eventually sees him. He’s standing on the edge of the crowd, leaning up against the wall, a sullen look on his face.

Taako had been on edge since the three reclaimers had returned from their mission. He’d snapped at Avi on return, but he hadn’t taken it personally. He couldn’t, didn’t want to, imagine what any of them saw and went through on those trips. Taako’s mood did bring down the morale of the whole base, however. Avi feels bad for Taako, for all three of them, the ability to increase or diminish morale based on their success and emotions was a hardship in and of itself. He briefly wonders if he should go over and try to cheer Taako up, but then he notices Magnus approach Taako, elbowing Taako out of his detachment and handing him a champagne flute. Taako smiles, swirling the liquid in the glass, saying something Avi can’t hear over the now incredibly loud music. Magnus tips his head back in laughter and Taako smiles again and downs his glass.

Another thing about the reclaimers: they all have magnetic personalities. Avi can’t help but watch as Magnus pulls Taako on the dance floor. Magnus dances around like a goofball in order to make Taako laugh. He succeeds. Then Merle spots them and dances over to them, yelling and teasing. The whole staff laughs as the three of them dance in a stupid, messy circle, making up dance moves as they go.

Taako seems to shed his bad mood after that. He becomes his usual charming self, strutting around the party, talking to people. Throughout the night, Avi notices that he stays within at least a couple of meters of Magnus the entire time. It’s like they’re two planets orbiting each other; their gravity too strong to break free of.

Later, when most people are drunk or have given up and made their way to bed, Avi leans up against the wall, watching all the drunk people stumble around. He also might be a little drunk – okay a lot drunk – but even in his drunken stupor, he notices Magnus and Taako. They’re in the centre of the room, dancing together to the soft gentle melody that Johann had put on, presumably to try to wind things down. The soft light from the skylight overhead and the magically swirling lights around the room hits them just right, making them glow slightly. Avi blinks hard a few times, watching them look into each other’s eyes like no one else is around. Avi supposes no one, in full possession of their faculties at least, really is. Somewhere in the back of Avi’s drunken mind a thought comes to him unbidden.

‘They’re like angels.’

The next morning, Avi, with a horrible headache, writes the whole thing off as a drunken dream until Johann conspiratorially leans into him at breakfast and asks him if he noticed anything different about Taako and Magnus the night before.

+

Angus always feels very good when he is called ‘the world’s greatest detective.’ He figures he’s almost as good as Caleb Cleveland. Maybe even better than him because Caleb is fictional, and Angus is real. Angus suspects he knew something was changing between Taako and Magnus before anyone else. Privately, he’s very proud that his observation skills and study of body language had come in handy. He admires each of them very much and had stored information and memories about each of them in the back of his mind until everything had clicked.

Fact: Magnus was nice to everyone but especially nice to Taako.

Fact: They bickered a lot, but it was usually good natured. If it wasn’t, they always made up loudly and quickly.

Fact: Taako could hold a grudge but he never held one against Magnus.

Fact: They hung out all the time.

Evidence: If they both went missing, the most likely way to find them was to find the pocket workshop or the pocket spa. They spent a lot of time hanging out together there.

Evidence: Agnus had heard about how Taako had tricked Magnus into shopping with him all day and Magnus hadn’t even seemed mad about it.

Fact: They were comfortable with each other.

Evidence: Angus had often seen Magnus sling his arm around Taako’s shoulder and pull him closer.

Evidence: Taako would thread his arm though Magnus’s, holding onto his bicep as they stood talking.

Evidence: They conversed often and easily, joking with each other all the time. They high five'd often and seemed to engage in playful ribbing at other people’s expense as a sort of sport.

Evidence: They have nicknames for each other that no one else got to call them: Mango, Maggie, Mags and T.

Fact: Magnus could convince Taako to do things even when no one else could.

Evidence: Magnus had convinced Taako to get up early to train with him and Taako did almost every day.

Evidence: Angus had overheard Magnus beg Taako to hang out with him on the moon base lawn even though Taako insisted he didn’t want to go outside. Later, Angus had seen Taako and Magnus lounging on the lawn together.

Fact: They seemed to know everything about each other.

Verdict: They loved each other.

Supporting Evidence: Angus had taken a walk in the middle of the night because he couldn’t sleep. On the balcony of the moon base, he had seen Magnus holding Taako in his arms as the elf cried.

Supporting Evidence: Angus had seen Taako give Magnus the rest of his peach cobbler, even though Angus knew it was Taako’s favourite.

So, with all this information in mind, Angus is not surprised when he turns a corner of the Bureau hallway and sees Magnus and Taako holding each other. It had been a bad day for the base. They had lost a very important and stressful lead for one of the grand relics and a couple of people had been injured in the process. There was a sense of melancholy that permeated every inch of the base right now that Angus was trying to escape it. So, when he sees Magnus and Taako, he turns on his heel, not wanting either of his idols to see the tear tracks on his face.

“Hey, Ango come here.” Taako’s voice is soft and not demanding, so Angus stops and turns.

At first, he’s worried that they’re going to tease him, but they’re both looking at him gently and Taako gestures for him to bring it in. Angus takes small steps towards them, and when he’s in reaching distance, Magnus scoops him up with one arm. He lets out a surprised yelp, but Magnus is already hugging him so Angus snuggles into him, flinging an arm around Magnus's neck. Taako moves in to hug them both and Angus feels like a child for the first time in a long time. He clenches his eyes shut to revel in the moment, remembering what it feels like to have two adults that love each other protect him, to hold him.

Taako breaks the long silence,

“If either of you tell anyone about this, I’ll magic missile your fingers off.” All three of them laugh, and the sombreness of the day momentarily drifts away and Angus feels safe.

+

Self-admittedly, Merle may not be a great cleric but he’s not an idiot. And, for better and for worse, he knows what love is.

He’d felt it when he, Magnus, and Taako had met for the first time in an inn at Gundren’s request. He’d felt a companionability between the three of them that he hadn’t felt in years. He’d felt it especially between Magnus and Taako who had already started bantering good-naturedly over their first drinks. The ease to which they had conversed and joked made their relationship, at least to Merle, feel like an inevitability.

He saw it when they had flirted all throughout the first adventure. When both of them had leaned their heads in to inspect the map and Magnus had absentmindedly tucked a stray piece of hair behind Taako’s ear which had spilled across the page. When Taako had accidentally called Magnus handsome and then tried to play it off like a purposefully ironic nickname. Merle had rolled his eyes at every longing glance and suppressed touch. But he was happy for them; he remembered how tender young love could be.

He knew for sure it was love when over and over again Magnus got up to hold Taako after one of Taako’s nightmares which Merle pretended not to see and all three of them ignored in the daylight.

He knew when Taako painted Magnus’s nails in their room in comfortable silence, Taako’s face scrunched up in concentration. Magnus had hardly looked at his nails once, instead he had stared at Taako’s face like he was trying to memorize every detail.

He knew when Magnus had said he would take two extra penalties in Wonderland so Taako could keep his beauty. When Taako had jumped into the celestial plane without a second thought to pull Magnus back into their realm. Merle had been pleased with himself that he was able to save them both.

He’s more pleased now when it’s all over. When The Hunger is defeated. When they have their memories back, their family back. When Magnus pulls them both into a celebratory hug, and Magnus whispers into Taako’s hair that he loves him. When Merle tries to pull away to give them some space and Magnus pulls him back in and Taako says,

“We love you too, my guy.”

Yes, Merle does know what love is.

**Author's Note:**

> my taagnus playlist  
> \- from the mouth of an injured head – radical face  
> \- the graveyard near the house – the airborne toxic event  
> \- mr. loverman – ricky montgomery  
> \- so contagious – acceptance  
> \- first day of my life – bright eyes  
> \- sirens – oliver daldry
> 
> thank you for reading!!


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